The pilot project is Dublin city centre’s north retail and residential quarter, within the area bounded by the Liffey Quays to the south, Capel Street to the west, Parnell Street to the north and O’Connell Street to the east.

Dublin Town is Dublin City’s Business Improvement District (BID), a collective of 2,500 businesses in the city centre – north and south. In 2016, Dublin Town undertook research to establish why Dublin city’s south side exited recession sooner than the north side. The findings – lack of connectivity and permeability, poor public realm, perceptions of safety and general lack of awareness of what the area offered – led Dublin Town to initiate a programme to boost the northern quarter, called ‘Dublin One’. After discussions with City Architects, Dublin Town applied in September 2016 to develop the programme through the Framework pilot project.

Dublin Town established a diverse community stakeholder group in November 2016 representing residents, cultural organisations, public transport providers, key Dublin City Council departments, Gardai and local businesses.

The AIA assembled a multi-disciplinary team expert in the design assistance process. City Architects assembled a multi-disciplinary ‘shadow’ team of Irish and European practitioners to learn the AIA process and guide the AIA in turn on statutory and contextual issues.

Preparations culminated in a design workshop held from the 10th to 13th March 2017. This included:

A public event attended by 150 people on the 10th March in The Gresham Hotel Dublin 1

Formal briefing of the AIA and Irish / European team members by City Architects and Dublin Town and site tour